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The arboreal needle snake was infamous throughout the quadrant as being the fiercest predator known. It made its home in the jungles on Carraya IV. Since it attacked its prey from above, it was found mostly in the trees of that world. This particular specimen, however, had been knocked out of its nest high in the forest canopy by the blast. When it recovered from the fall, it perceived the massive metal object in front of it.
It half crept, half slithered over the muddy ground toward the freighter. The scent of blood and death was luring it there. The surface felt oddly hot to its touch, though it had cooled considerably since the ship first crashed. For such a large creature, the anaconda-like beast was quite nimble, and it moved without a sound over the metal.
A blur of movement passed out of the corner of its eye: prey. The strange being with two legs had not seen it yet. The serpent moved closer, and closer. The object of its hunt was weakening. Its blood was trickling across the forest floor as it staggered. The animal at last noticed its hunter and screamed. It was trying to escape, but it was injured and would not get far. It moved away in a futile attempt to escape. The snake calmly followed.
After a while, the prey's strength was spent, and it collapsed into a shallow puddle. The predator wrapped its coils around it. The breathing of its victim was slowing. Soon, it would be time to eat. The last thing the arboreal needle snake remembered was another two-legged animal pointing a strange object toward it. A bright light erupted from the object and everything went dark.
Ba'el hurried to the gate when the guard announced that her father and the others were returning. She was so excited that she had not been able to sleep. Neither had her mother, Gi'ral, who rushed to greet her husband as he walked through the entrance. Ba'el looked around, but there were no survivors to be seen. Dhaval approached her. He had a body slung over his shoulder.
"There were no others?" Ba'el asked him with trepidation. Dhaval shook his head. "Let's go inside, then," she sighed. As she was the designated nurse, it was her job to take care of this visitor. The stranger was laid down on the infirmary bed. Ba'el examined the patient carefully. She was a female, and she looked to be about her own age, though Ba'el had not seen a member of that species before. In fact, she had never seen any other races besides Klingons and Romulans.
Ba'el noted the woman's red hair and fair skin, which was dotted with light freckles. "She's beautiful… Is she a human?" she asked Dhaval eagerly.
"Yes," the guard answered.
"Amazing!" she breathed. "I've never seen a human before."
"Nor have I," he admitted.
Just then, Tokath came in. "Well, do you think she will live?"
"She's not hurt very badly, father, but she will need to rest for several days at least," his daughter answered. Who is she?"
Tokath looked to Dhaval for an answer. "The ship's computer was destroyed, so we were not able to access the passenger manifest, Commander," the soldier reported.
"Well, then," Tokath said to his daughter with a smile, "you will have to ask her when she wakes up. Please keep me informed."
Ba'el studied the human woman with great interest. Her mother then came in with some extra supplies. "I see you have found a new friend," said Gi'ral.
"Mother," she chuckled, "I don't even know her name. Have you ever met a human before?" Her mother shook her head with a smile, and left her daughter to tend to her charge.
The human female moaned softly. At once Ba'el was at her side. "She's coming around!" she said excitedly. Dhaval returned his attention in her direction. Wincing, the woman opened her eyes. They had a brilliant azure hue. She started when she saw her two spectators.
"No one is going to harm you. I am Ba'el," she said, answering the woman's unvoiced questions, "and you are on Carraya IV. We rescued you after your ship crashed."
She did not speak, but tried to sit. "Rise slowly," Ba'el warned, "you have a head injury. What's your name?" She knew she was pushing, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her.
The young woman blinked. "Anne," she rasped slowly, as though she had momentarily forgotten, "Anne Wentworth."
"It's nice to meet you, Anne Wentworth," she said politely. She noted that Dhaval was silent. He looked as though he was not interested in being introduced. It did not matter, as they would know each other soon enough. It was a small community. Everyone knew everything about everybody, and there were no secrets—or rather, nothing stayed a secret for long.
Ba'el offered Anne some water, which was gratefully accepted. "Where are the others?" Anne asked, now that she was no longer parched.
"I'm afraid you are the only survivor, Anne," Ba'el reluctantly informed her.
Anne held her head in her hands. No doubt her concussion was causing her discomfort, and it had probably just gotten worse.
"This will help with the pain," Ba'el said as she attempted to inject her with a hypospray. Anne looked as though she was going to resist at first, but then thought better of it.
"They're all dead…" she uttered sorrowfully.
"Yes," Dhaval spoke for the first time since she awakened, "there were no other life signs."
"I am sorry," Ba'el told her. "You need to rest now, and recover your strength." Anne was too weak to protest. She lay back and was soon asleep again.
The next day, Anne was able to sit up for a good while before her head started to spin again. There was a knock at the door. "Come in," she said.
An old Romulan with graying hair walked into her cell. He smiled kindly, which was not at all what she was expecting. "I hope I am not disturbing you, Anne Wentworth," he said.
"No, sir," she said.
"I am Tokath," he politely introduced himself. "I am Ba'el's father. I know, you are surprised to hear that. But, that is the type of place this is. There is no hate or killing here. We live together in peace. Now, if there is anything you require, simply ask. And if it is possible, we will obtain it for you."
"Am I a prisoner, Mr. Tokath?" she asked bluntly.
"This place is only a prison if you make it so, Ms. Wentworth," he said just as candidly. "Given the delicacy of our situation, I cannot allow you to leave. I am sorry."
"What do you mean?" she felt her blood pressure rising.
"This camp is a secret. To all intents and purposes, it does not exist. If you leave, others will find out about us, and our way of life will be put in jeopardy."
Anne's heart sank at hearing his words. "So I will never see my home again?"
"In time," he said as he rose, knowing full well where the conversation was going, "I hope you will come to see this place as your home."
She blinked as tears began to sting her eyes.
Tokath sighed. "At this point," he said gently, "my words will not be heard. So I will bid you good day, Ms. Wentworth. Dinner will be served in the main building at sunset. You may join us, if you wish." With that, he left.
Anne began to sob bitterly and scream into her pillow. It wasn't fair! Why did this have to happen to her? She was supposed to be on vacation! But instead her life had been forever altered. She had nearly been eaten alive by that…anaconda thing; her parents and sister were dead. All of that was bad enough. Now, she would have to contend with the fact that she was a captive in this slammer full of Klingons and Romulans—Klingons and Romulans? Together in one place? If she had not been so upset, she would have wondered at the irony of the situation.
Her head started to pound again. Mom? Dad? Talia? Where are you? Get me out of this hell!
It was well after sunset when there was another knock on the door. Ba'el entered with a tray of food. "I thought you might be hungry, Anne. May I call you Anne?"
The human nodded, "Of course." Then she remembered her manners. "Thank you, Ba'el."
"It's no problem at all," the Klingon girl insisted. "I'm sure this must be a difficult time for you."
"Yeah…" Anne said, "It is."
"My father says you took it well," Ba'el said optimistically, leaving out the "for a human" part.
"Thanks," she returned unenthusiastically.
"If you ever need to talk, I don't mind listening." She turned to leave. "Things will start look up for you eventually, Anne. I promise."
"Thank you," she repeated, this time more sincerely.
"Goodnight." Ba'el seemed to be a good and kind person. Anne wanted to believe her with all her heart. After all that had happened to her, however, it was impossible for her to believe that this place could ever be anything more than a horrid jail.